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<h1 class="settitle" align="center">Stow</h1>






<a name="SEC_Contents"></a>
<h2 class="contents-heading">Table of Contents</h2>

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<ul class="no-bullet">
  <li><a name="toc-Introduction-1" href="Introduction.html#Introduction">1 Introduction</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Terminology-1" href="Terminology.html#Terminology">2 Terminology</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Invoking-Stow-1" href="Invoking-Stow.html#Invoking-Stow">3 Invoking Stow</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Ignore-Lists-1" href="Ignore-Lists.html#Ignore-Lists">4 Ignore Lists</a>
  <ul class="no-bullet">
    <li><a name="toc-Motivation-For-Ignore-Lists-1" href="Motivation-For-Ignore-Lists.html#Motivation-For-Ignore-Lists">4.1 Motivation For Ignore Lists</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Types-And-Syntax-Of-Ignore-Lists-1" href="Types-And-Syntax-Of-Ignore-Lists.html#Types-And-Syntax-Of-Ignore-Lists">4.2 Types And Syntax Of Ignore Lists</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Justification-For-Yet-Another-Set-Of-Ignore-Files-1" href="Justification-For-Yet-Another-Set-Of-Ignore-Files.html#Justification-For-Yet-Another-Set-Of-Ignore-Files">4.3 Justification For Yet Another Set Of Ignore Files</a></li>
  </ul></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Installing-Packages-1" href="Installing-Packages.html#Installing-Packages">5 Installing Packages</a>
  <ul class="no-bullet">
    <li><a name="toc-Tree-folding" href="Installing-Packages.html#Tree-folding">5.1 Tree folding</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Tree-unfolding-1" href="Installing-Packages.html#Tree-unfolding-1">5.2 Tree unfolding</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Ownership" href="Installing-Packages.html#Ownership">5.3 Ownership</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Conflicts-during-installation" href="Installing-Packages.html#Conflicts-during-installation">5.4 Conflicts during installation</a></li>
  </ul></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Deleting-Packages-1" href="Deleting-Packages.html#Deleting-Packages">6 Deleting Packages</a>
  <ul class="no-bullet">
    <li><a name="toc-Refolding-_0060_0060foldable_0027_0027-trees_002e" href="Deleting-Packages.html#Refolding-_0060_0060foldable_0027_0027-trees_002e">6.1 Refolding &ldquo;foldable&rdquo; trees.</a></li>
  </ul></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Conflicts-1" href="Conflicts.html#Conflicts">7 Conflicts</a>
  <ul class="no-bullet">
    <li><a name="toc-Deferred-Operation-1" href="Conflicts.html#Deferred-Operation-1">7.1 Deferred Operation</a></li>
  </ul></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Mixing-Operations-1" href="Mixing-Operations.html#Mixing-Operations">8 Mixing Operations</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Multiple-Stow-Directories-1" href="Multiple-Stow-Directories.html#Multiple-Stow-Directories">9 Multiple Stow Directories</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Target-Maintenance-1" href="Target-Maintenance.html#Target-Maintenance">10 Target Maintenance</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Resource-Files-1" href="Resource-Files.html#Resource-Files">11 Resource Files</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Compile_002dtime-vs-Install_002dtime-1" href="Compile_002dtime-vs-Install_002dtime.html#Compile_002dtime-vs-Install_002dtime">12 Compile-time vs Install-time</a>
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    <li><a name="toc-Advice-on-changing-compilation-and-installation-parameters" href="Compile_002dtime-vs-Install_002dtime.html#Advice-on-changing-compilation-and-installation-parameters">12.1 Advice on changing compilation and installation parameters</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-GNU-Emacs-1" href="GNU-Emacs.html#GNU-Emacs">12.2 GNU Emacs</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Other-FSF-Software-1" href="Other-FSF-Software.html#Other-FSF-Software">12.3 Other FSF Software</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Cygnus-Software-1" href="Cygnus-Software.html#Cygnus-Software">12.4 Cygnus Software</a></li>
    <li><a name="toc-Perl-and-Perl-5-Modules-1" href="Perl-and-Perl-5-Modules.html#Perl-and-Perl-5-Modules">12.5 Perl and Perl 5 Modules</a></li>
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  <li><a name="toc-Bootstrapping-1" href="Bootstrapping.html#Bootstrapping">13 Bootstrapping</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Reporting-Bugs-1" href="Reporting-Bugs.html#Reporting-Bugs">14 Reporting Bugs</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Known-Bugs-1" href="Known-Bugs.html#Known-Bugs">15 Known Bugs</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-GNU-General-Public-License-1" href="GNU-General-Public-License.html#GNU-General-Public-License">GNU General Public License</a></li>
  <li><a name="toc-Index-1" href="Index.html#Index">Index</a></li>
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<p>This manual describes GNU Stow 2.3.1 (28 July 2019), a
symlink farm manager which takes distinct sets of software and/or data
located in separate directories on the filesystem, and makes them
appear to be installed in a single directory tree.
</p>
<table class="menu" border="0" cellspacing="0">
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Introduction.html#Introduction" accesskey="1">Introduction</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Description of Stow.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Terminology.html#Terminology" accesskey="2">Terminology</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Terms used by this manual.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Invoking-Stow.html#Invoking-Stow" accesskey="3">Invoking Stow</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Option summary.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Ignore-Lists.html#Ignore-Lists" accesskey="4">Ignore Lists</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Controlling what gets stowed.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Installing-Packages.html#Installing-Packages" accesskey="5">Installing Packages</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Using Stow to install.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Deleting-Packages.html#Deleting-Packages" accesskey="6">Deleting Packages</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Using Stow to uninstall.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Conflicts.html#Conflicts" accesskey="7">Conflicts</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">When Stow can&rsquo;t stow.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Mixing-Operations.html#Mixing-Operations" accesskey="8">Mixing Operations</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Multiple actions per invocation.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Multiple-Stow-Directories.html#Multiple-Stow-Directories" accesskey="9">Multiple Stow Directories</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Further segregating software.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Target-Maintenance.html#Target-Maintenance">Target Maintenance</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Cleaning up mistakes.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Resource-Files.html#Resource-Files">Resource Files</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Setting default command line options.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Compile_002dtime-vs-Install_002dtime.html#Compile_002dtime-vs-Install_002dtime">Compile-time vs Install-time</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Faking out &lsquo;make install&rsquo;.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Bootstrapping.html#Bootstrapping">Bootstrapping</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">When stow and perl are not yet stowed.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Reporting-Bugs.html#Reporting-Bugs">Reporting Bugs</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">How, what, where, and when to report.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Known-Bugs.html#Known-Bugs">Known Bugs</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Don&rsquo;t report any of these.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="GNU-General-Public-License.html#GNU-General-Public-License">GNU General Public License</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Copying terms.
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Index.html#Index">Index</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">Index of concepts.
</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><pre class="menu-comment">

</pre></th></tr><tr><th colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><pre class="menu-comment"> &mdash; The Detailed Node Listing &mdash;

Ignore Lists

</pre></th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Motivation-For-Ignore-Lists.html#Motivation-For-Ignore-Lists">Motivation For Ignore Lists</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Types-And-Syntax-Of-Ignore-Lists.html#Types-And-Syntax-Of-Ignore-Lists">Types And Syntax Of Ignore Lists</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Justification-For-Yet-Another-Set-Of-Ignore-Files.html#Justification-For-Yet-Another-Set-Of-Ignore-Files">Justification For Yet Another Set Of Ignore Files</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><pre class="menu-comment">

Advice on changing compilation and installation parameters

</pre></th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="GNU-Emacs.html#GNU-Emacs">GNU Emacs</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Other-FSF-Software.html#Other-FSF-Software">Other FSF Software</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Cygnus-Software.html#Cygnus-Software">Cygnus Software</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Perl-and-Perl-5-Modules.html#Perl-and-Perl-5-Modules">Perl and Perl 5 Modules</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">
</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><pre class="menu-comment">

</pre></th></tr></table>

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